Norm Dvoskin
When does spring begin on Long Island? This year the moment the sun crossed directly over the equator spring started officially. This is known as the vernal equinox and it occurred at 7:44 AM on March 20th. How would you ever know it? You can look out your window and see a robin, but you can’t look out and see an equinox. This year the arrival of spring was greeted by a dusting of snow and the next morning on March 21 the temperature was in the low 20s. That’s not the kind of weather we look forward to all winter while hanging around waiting for spring to arrive. In 1958 the first day of spring was a joke. We had a major northeaster with 16 inches of snow, 55 mph winds and high tides. Schools were closed, along with industries such as Republic Aviation and Grumman Engineering. There were around 150,000 power outages. In 1967, we had more than 14 inches of snow on the first day of spring. This produced slippery roads with numerous fender benders and major delays on the Long Island Railroad.
I’ve been living here for more than 50 years and I’ve noticed some things that are typical of spring on Long Island:
The crocuses start coming up through the potholes
The shortest distance between two points is usually under construction
You have to turn on your heat the day after you turn it off for the season
You see a topless convertible and the driver is wearing ear muffs and mittens
Gardeners throw their seed catalogs on the fire to keep warm
Flocks of accountants are sighted migrating back for the tax season
Everything begins to blossom and grow, except what you planted
Kids wear much lighter clothes when they surf the internet
You can have rain, snow and sunshine simultaneously
People start taking down their Christmas decorations
How can you tell when spring REALLY arrives on Long Island?
First it gets warm and everyone goes out and plants their garden. Then it gets cold and everything freezes. Next it gets warm again and everyone plants their garden again...and that’s spring.
SEASONS GREENINGS